Russia launched a series of attacks overnight against different regions of Ukraine, leaving at least four dead and five injured, just before the scheduled visit of the White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv to try to reactivate peace negotiations.
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According to the Russian Ministry of Defense on Saturday, its forces attacked two metallurgical factories in the Dnipropetrovsk region, facilities that Moscow described as relevant for supplying the Ukrainian Army.
The head of the Military Administration of the Ukrainian region, Oleksandr Ganzha, reported that the offensive left four people dead and five others injured.
Russia also claimed to have struck an electric station, a logistics center, and a ship that, according to its version, was carrying military cargo in the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv.
In the Kyiv region, Moscow claimed to have hit two fuel distribution facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as a logistics center and a radio intelligence station.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense systems shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight in seven regions of the country and in the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia.
The attacks come before the arrival of Witkoff and Kushner, envoys of the U.S. President Donald Trump, whose visit was confirmed by official sources from both Russia and Ukraine.
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The purpose of the trip is to try to unblock negotiations to end the war. Trump stated that his representatives “carry with them a proposal to end the war.”
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, assured that he ordered the suspension of attacks against Russian airspace during the visit of the U.S. negotiators and asked Moscow to adopt the same measure.
“Russia must do the same (…) Our goal is for the visit and negotiations with the U.S. side to be as constructive and substantial as possible,” he said.
However, the Kremlin ruled out that possibility. Its spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated on Friday that there is no agreement between Moscow and Kyiv to establish a moratorium on air bombings during the talks.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, expressed his willingness to receive Witkoff and Kushner, although so far he has rejected a possible tripartite summit with the United States and Ukraine, unless it is to finalize a definitive peace agreement.
The visit will also mark the return of both envoys to Moscow, a city they have not traveled to since January. According to available background, it will also be their first visit to Kyiv.
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